If you are a reader or a writer, don’t miss the October 14 Hera Hub Authors’ Salon. We will feature authors, desserts, and wine. What a winning combination!
Days after our inaugural Authors’ Salon, Sally Barlow was still raving about the experience. “Since I have retired I don’t feel as challenged intellectually. It was such a fun night to hear authors discussing their craft and reading to us from their books. Even though I never plan to write a book, I love reading and thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the rapidly changing publishing industry. Definitely bringing my friends to the next one!”
So bring your friends on Tuesday, October 14, and enjoy the featured authors—both successful writers of fiction that requires research. Susan Meissner writes contemporary fiction with a historical thread running through it. M. Louisa Locke focuses on one period and setting—Victorian San Francisco. Meissner has to do major research for each new title while Locke delves deeper into a period she knows well both as a historian and an author. It will be fascinating to hear these two discuss their research and writing processes.
Meissner has written for Random House and currently is published by Penguin. A Fall of Marigolds is her 13th book. Although Meissner is traditionally published with major publishing houses, she does not depend on publicists to reach out to readers. She loves her readers and connects in many creative ways. As she shared last week in a Facebook event with the Women’s Fiction Writers Association:
“Connecting to my reading community is really all about making a promise and sticking to it. I have wordlessly promised (by my brand) to write dual-time-periods fiction suitable for book clubs.”
Locke is quite active in sharing what she has learned about self-publishing and serves on the Board of Directors of the Historical Fiction Authors Cooperative (HFAC). Perhaps because she is a scholar, she is very analytical in her approach to marketing her titles and shares her findings generously on her blog. She entered the indie market during the boom years of ebook sales but has found strategies to continue to thrive as ebook sales have cooled. Of course, the real secret is writing a page turner which she does in book after book.
What to Read
Want to do some reading before the Authors’ Salon? A nice introduction to M. Louisa Locke is her short story Dandy Detects. Download it from Amazon for just 99 cents to meet Locke’s characters (including Dandy the dog) and fall in love with Victorian San Francisco. Ready for something more lengthy? I recommend the first in her series, Maids of Misfortune: A Victorian San Francisco Mystery, available in print and ebook featuring Annie Fuller.
“Annie is a character with depth and personality. She’s also a woman faced with huge challenges and limited solutions for a “proper lady” in 1879. In real life, the Annies of the world are the survivors. Locke shows great finesse in character development and provides supporting characters that are diverse and entertaining.
“From beautiful Victorian houses to horses, carriages, manners, dress, lifestyles, fog, and gas-lamps, the setting is rich with authenticity. The author’s research is thorough, and her descriptions contain details that are interesting and satisfying to readers who love this era. Locke’s mysteries should develop a loyal audience quickly. . . .”—Penny Leisch, Story Circle Book Reviews
For Meissner, I highly recommend starting with A Fall of Marigolds, which she will speak about. She excels at skillfully leading the reader back and forth in time as the captivating story unfolds.
“Like the golden threads of a scarf sprinkled with marigolds, Susan Meissner weaves two unspeakable New York tragedies—the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and 9/11—into a shimmering novel of love and acceptance. Meissner’s heroines, Clara and Taryn, live a century apart, but their stories are connected not just by a bright scrap of fabric but by love lost. A compelling novel, A Fall of Marigolds turns fate into a triumph of spirit. —Sandra Dallas, New York Times best-selling author of True Sisters
And from Publishers Weekly:
“Meissner’s prose is exquisite and she is a stunning storyteller.”
Register to Attend
Space is limited so register now to attend the October 14 Hera Hub Authors’ Salon. It will be a stimulating evening to remember and perhaps you will leave feeling like Sally Barlow—energized and with a list of new books to read!
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Before founding eFrog Press in 2011, Linda Scott, EdD, taught high school English and college technology courses, designed websites for authors and small businesses, presented on the writing process, edited newsletters, and wrote magazine feature stories. Drawing on these varied skills and Linda’s connections with authors and publishing, she launched eFrog Press in 2011.
eFrog Press developed a menu of ebook production services and discovered that independent (indie) authors also need help connecting with readers online. Their publishing services help authors optimize their books’ placement on ebook sellers’ sites like Amazon. Subsequently, book trailer production was added to promote ebooks before and after publication through their YouTube Channel.
eFrog Press has worked on nonfiction titles, historical romance, young adult, poetry, biography, memoir, and children’s titles. So, no matter what the genre or topic of your book, eFrog Press can take care of the publishing details and free you to focus on your writing. Linda, now a published author herself, is a co-collaborator on the Hera Hub Authors’ Salon series, held quarterly at Hera Hub, Carlsbad.
